business backgrounder | industry
Once Again, America is Rising
Robust manufacturing sector leads nation out of recession.
Jason Hagey
Jay Timmons, president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers, brought the 10-city 2015 State of Manufacturing
Tour to Washington this February. The state of American manufacturing is as resilient and robust as ever, he declared.
Inside a classroom at Spokane Community College, surrounded by state-of-the art manufacturing equipment,
sits a small decorative display featuring a worn copy
of the “Machinery’s Handbook, Seventeenth Edition.”
The green hardback — a 1964 update to the original
1914 reference book — is a nod to the long, proud history
of manufacturing in America.
It is fitting, then, that Jay Timmons, president and CEO
of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM),
walked past the handbook during his visit to Spokane in
February as part of the 2015 State of Manufacturing tour.
Throughout his 10-city tour, Timmons not only
declared that the state of manufacturing is strong and
that it will fuel America’s economic growth moving
forward, but he also made the case that America’s
past successes are intertwined with the success of the
manufacturing sector.
AWB President Kris Johnson, left, and Greater Spokane, Inc., President Steve Stevens
When the Civil War tore the country apart, manutour Spokane Valley Tech during the State of Manufacturing tour in February.
facturing helped sew it back together, he said. When
we were trampled by the Depression, manufacturing
helped get us back on our feet. When we were tested by world war, manufacturing armed
our troops overseas and powered America into a new era of leadership back home.
Even now, manufacturing is still leading the country out of hard times, Timmons said.
at a glance
“When we were tripped up by the Great Recession and many wondered whether
manufacturing in America was past its prime, we not only proved the doubters wrong, but
Some wondered whether America’s
have roared back even stronger,” he said.
tour comes to washington
NAM’s three-week cross-country tour kicked off at Purdue University in West Lafayette,
Ind. It stopped in Washington Feb. 10-11, with visits to Olympia and Spokane.
In Olympia, Timmons and AWB President Kris Johnson met with U.S. Rep. Denny Heck,
D-10th District, and testified before the state Commerce and Labor Committee.
In their testimony, they offered insights on the impacts manufacturing has on the state
and national economy. Natalie Pacholl of SEH America and Michael Senske of Pearson
Packaging Systems joined Timmons and Johnson on the panel.
The next day in Spokane, Timmons and Johnson toured Spokane Community Colle